Civil engineers enter government service through the Public Service Commission (Lok Sewa Aayog) and the seven provincial public service commissions. The two most common posts are Engineer (officer level, 7th level, formerly gazetted third class) and Sub-engineer (5th level, non-gazetted first class). This page sums up the exam structure and the topics, and links each topic to free practice questions.
Engineer (7th level), Civil Group
The current PSC syllabus for Nepal Engineering Service, Civil Group (General, Highway, Hydropower, Irrigation, Sanitary and Airport sub-groups) has a written phase of 200 marks and a second phase of group test and interview.
| Paper | Type | Marks | Time |
|---|---|---|---|
| Paper I: General subject | Objective, 100 questions of 1 mark, 20% negative marking | 100 | 1 hour 30 minutes |
| Paper II: Technical subject | Subjective, short and long answers | 100 | 3 hours |
| Group test | Leaderless group discussion | 10 | 30 minutes |
| Interview | Board interview | 30 |
Paper I has two parts of 50 marks each. Part I is general awareness and contemporary issues (Nepal's geography, history, constitution, governance, plans and current affairs) plus a general reasoning test (logical, numerical and spatial reasoning). Part II is general technical subject.
Paper I Part II: technical topics and weight
| Topic | Questions | Practice |
|---|---|---|
| Structural engineering | 5 | Structural mechanics |
| Engineering survey | 7 | Basic civil engineering (1.5) |
| Construction materials | 6 | Basic civil engineering (1.1, 1.2) |
| Concrete technology | 5 | Design of structures (5.2) |
| Geotechnical engineering | 6 | Soil mechanics, geology |
| Construction management | 6 | Project management |
| Estimating, costing, specification and valuation | 5 | Basic civil engineering (1.6) |
| Engineering drawing | 4 | Chapter 10 (10.1) |
| Engineering economics | 3 | Chapter 10 (10.2) |
| Professional practices | 3 | Chapter 10 (10.5, 10.6) |
Paper II: technical subject
Paper II is written in four sections: A, structural and geotechnical engineering (30 marks); B, water resources (hydrology, hydraulics, irrigation and hydropower, 25 marks); C, transportation (highway and airport engineering, 25 marks); and D, public health engineering (water supply, sanitation and environment, 20 marks). Even though Paper II is subjective, objective practice is a quick way to revise the facts and formulas behind each answer.
Sub-engineer (5th level), Civil
The sub-engineer exam has a written objective paper and a written subjective paper, followed by an interview. Recent notices have used an objective paper of 50 questions at 2 marks each with negative marking, but the format has changed over the years and differs between the federal and provincial commissions, so read the syllabus attached to the advertisement you apply for. The technical areas are:
- Surveying
- Construction materials
- Fluid mechanics and hydraulics
- Soil mechanics
- Mechanics of structures and design
- Construction technology
- Water supply and sanitation
- Highway engineering
- Estimating and costing
- Construction management
- Engineering drawing
Provincial and local level exams
Provincial public service commissions recruit engineers and sub-engineers for provincial ministries and for local levels (municipalities and rural municipalities). Their syllabi follow the same technical areas as the federal PSC, with local differences in paper structure and marks. Prepare with the same question sets, and check the provincial commission's website for the exact syllabus.
Free practice for each exam
- Mock tests: NEC licence, Lok Sewa Engineer, Lok Sewa Sub-engineer and seven specialist sets.
- Lok Sewa extra topics: engineering geology and tunnels, airport, bridges, construction equipment and site management.
- NEC civil syllabus and the chapter-wise practice pages linked from it.
Exam structure summarised from the PSC syllabus for Nepal Engineering Service, Civil Group, effective 2080/07/20. Syllabi are revised from time to time; the official version on psc.gov.np or your provincial commission's website is the final word.
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